This invention relates to a coated windshield for automobiles having an upper vision area coated with an electroconductive and/or heat-screening coating and a lower electroconductive heating circuit facing a lower area where windshield wipers are stored when windshield wiper arms are at rest.
Prior to this invention, some windshields have been provided with electroconductive coatings over the vision area to provide defrosting, deicing or defogging capability and/or heat-screening coatings to reduce heat buildup within the automobile. Such windshields have not been provided with means to heat a storage area for wiper arms.
Other windshields have been developed to incorporate a heating circuit in the portion of the windshield which extends below the level of an automobile hood facing an area where the windshield wipers are stored when not in use. This heating circuit overcomes blockage of the wipers onto the windshield during cold weather due to icing. However, to the best of our knowledge, windshields provided with a special heating circuit to heat stored windshield wipers have not been provided with any coatings in the vision area to provide heat-screening, defrosting, deicing and/or defogging capability. This observation will become obvious in the light of a discussion of relevant patents that came to our attention as a result of a novelty search performed to determine the novelty of this invention.